Now What?
by AniGirl15
Summary: Sasuke finally killed Itachi. Only a few months are left before Orochimaru takes his body. Didn't he have another goal he wanted to fulfill...?
1. Prelude

I decided, since this plot bunny has been growing rather rapidly, to throw caution to the wind and start a multi-chapter Naruto fic. I don't know where this idea came from, but I liked where it was going and had the potential to become a rather interesting story.

This is an AU, in the sense that I'm following the manga up to Time Jump, and then breaking off from there. There will be OCs, but they exist only to fill roles that absolutely cannot be filled by existing characters. I am not going to let them become Sues.

Rated M for violence and possible suggestive dialogue.

(And, yes, future chapters will be longer than this one.)

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**Now What?**

Prelude

He stood over the prone figure, looking at the body dully. The surprise had faded from his face long before. Now he just took in the sight, too numb to do anything.

Itachi was dead.

He had done it.

After all these years of hatred, seeking power, selling his body and his soul... his brother lay before him. Limp. Unmoving. Dead.

The man's cloak was in shreds, large portions missing all over. It was difficult to see from his position, but his right arm rested beneath his body, blood-covered, bent the wrong way at the elbow. A large wound near his abdomen still leaked the red liquid, the last trace of life exiting the now-pale figure. His hair was a mess, covered in dirt. A small chunk had been ripped from his scalp, and now lay a few yards away. One eye had been clawed out, with nothing more than a bloody hole remaining. The other rested half open, black as night. A small trail of red led down from his mouth. His lips formed a small frown, just barely noticeable.

To the observer, it seemed as if Itachi's expression was that of disappointment.

Sasuke felt like throwing up.


	2. One Down

I do not own Naruto, or any related characters. This fic is written for fun and amusement, and no monetary profit is gained from this endeavor. Please don't sue me.

One Down

"Well, I must admit it's rather refreshing to not have him badgering me constantly any more." Orochimaru chuckled softly, glancing at Kabuto out of the corner of his eye. The dark-haired man was sitting in a rather decorated chair in one of his libraries; an old book with yellowing pages lay on the table in front of him. The medical ninja stood next to him, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. His eyes drifted towards the book, which Orochimaru quickly snapped shut. The teen's irritation grew slightly.

"But still, I can't help but worry about him."

The Sannin raised an eyebrow, and Kabuto quickly continued. "From a purely physical standpoint, if he continues to remain inactive for a while, his muscles will begin to deteriorate and lose the peak condition that you have pushed him so hard to achieve."

"You think I didn't know that?"

Kabuto said nothing, resisting the urge to snap at his superior.

"We'll give him some time to himself. I doubt you could do much to motivate him, anyway." Orochimaru turned to his subordinate, green eyes glinting dangerously. "Now if you have nothing else to discuss, I would prefer if you leave this room."

Nothing else was needed. Kabuto instantly turned, heading over to the exit. Without so much as a backwards glance he let himself out, closing the door behind him. Orochimaru's private library. An untold collection of knowledge, carefully safeguarded by the snake master. Kabuto had no idea just how much was written within the pages of those books, what sort of things could be accomplished with the wisdom they could provide. It had taken him many years to establish a connection of trust to even be permitted to set a foot inside. And all he had managed to read from his peek was "chakra will be". He chuckled softly. What a waste of an opportunity.

*****

Sasuke lay motionless on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. A tightness gripped his throat, squeezing, turning his mouth dry. Again and again the scene replayed in his mind, frighteningly clear. Itachi stepped backwards, left hand drifting to his bleeding eye. His right hand swept forward, already halfway through the seal sequence needed for the fire jutsu. Sasuke had lunged forward, grabbing the wrist. He knee came up automatically, and he forced the arm down, feeling the snapping of the bone reverberating all the way to his hand. The smallest hints of pain crossed his brother's face, and the dots of his Sharingan began to gather towards the center. Before Itachi could activate the Mangekyou, Sasuke pushed the other over, right hand desperately covering the red eye. There was a crack, and Itachi's head hit the ground, Sasuke's full weight thrown into the impact. Following was an eerie silence.

He could still feel the limp arm in his grip. The phantom blood refused to be washed from his hand. The liquid made his skin cold; made it itch. He wanted to be rid of it all, now; now that it was all over. Itachi was gone. His family was avenged. He could move on with his life.

Where was there to move on to?

Suddenly a tidal wave of emotion crashed upon his being. How much he had suffered for that day. All the pain and training he had endured under Orochimaru. How much he had given up in his pursuit of power. He had almost made friends. Those back in Konoha... even though they couldn't help him reach the level he needed, he had still found the decision to leave them difficult. They had become so close to him. Almost...

"... like family..." The Uchiha's voice almost broke as the words passed his lips. He had almost moved on. He had almost found a substitute for the family he had lost.

Itachi had destroyed them, too.

If he hadn't been chasing after his brother, he never would have left them behind. It was all because of Itachi. It all looked so clear, now that he couldn't change a thing.

And what was he doing here? This wasn't his family. This wasn't anything close. Kabuto gave him a bad feeling, and Orochimaru's willingness to indulge him only extended as far as strengthening him for what was to come. That's right. Three months, and then...

He didn't even want to think about it any more. Up until now, beating Itachi had been pushed to the front of his mind, blocking out everything else. Now that that was gone, the reality of everything set in.

If he stayed here, he was going to die.

*****

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune quickly opened the door to the Hokage's office, clutching several sheets of paper in her hand. The Sannin looked up from her latest paperwork, setting it aside when she noticed her assistant's apparent distress.

"Yes?"

"Please have a look at the latest report from the ANBU surveillance squadron!" The woman hurried in, thrusting the papers into Tsunade's hand before she had a chance to react. The elder sighed, reaching for a cup on her desk

"This had better be important..." She mumbled, taking a sip of tea. One glance at the papers, and she almost dropped the drink.

*****

Sasuke sat up suddenly as Kabuto brought in the tray of food, causing a look of surprise on the older ninja. Shaking it off, he set the tray on the ground, a few feet from the bed. Sasuke watched him, and just as he was about to exit the boy spoke out.

"Why do you stay here?" Kabuto turned to him, a strange look on his face. "Why do you follow Orochimaru?"

The medical ninja realized exactly where the question had come from, and smirked slightly. "I believe in Orochimaru-sama's ideals."

He couldn't stop himself from the obvious question, a grin threatening to break through the indifferent mask of his face. "And you?"

"You shouldn't need to ask..." Sasuke muttered, hand reaching to the mark on his neck. Kabuto turned away so that the Uchiha wouldn't see his smirk.

"Why? Any particular reason?" Of course there was a reason.

"... No."


	3. Moving Past

Moving Past

"On the outskirts of a small village in the Rock Country," Tsunade read out loud, "was found the corpse of Uchiha Itachi, missing ninja of Konoha and known member of the rebel organization 'Akatsuki'. Time of death was estimated to be one to three days prior. Cause of death was likely a broken neck. Murderer unknown, no clues left. As per regulations, after confirming that the body was indeed Uchiha Itachi, it was disposed of and the area wiped clean. Further information requests should be directed towards squadron 5. Information level: classified."

The medical ninja looked up from the paper, face grim. "As much as I should be happy that Itachi is no longer a threat..."

Shizune nodded. "Something feels wrong about it. Should I summon squadron 5?"

"No..." Tsunade shook her head for emphasis, carefully setting down the report. "There is no need. I only wish to speak with their medic. Bring in Yushika. I have a hunch about this..."

The assistant nodded, bowing and leaving. As the door slid shut, Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Itachi had been killed? It seemed so sudden. No one had seen hide or hair of him for almost three years. All of a sudden he wound up practically on their doorstep, dead.

"Looks like our brief moments of peace are about to be cut off once again..."

*****

A hand slid through Sasuke's hair, and the boy instantly slapped it away. Orochimaru chuckled softly, eyes narrowing. "Poor little Sasuke-kun. Is something wrong?"

"Go... away..." the words were almost a whisper, not even slightly concealing the hostility. The Uchiha shifted slightly, putting a tiny bit more distance between him and the older man. Every part of him made it clear that he didn't want any sort of attention. That suited Orochimaru just fine. He was willing to fawn over the boy whether he was welcome or not.

"I do hope you are proud of yourself. You've finally killed him." Orochimaru's hand drifted down the boy's arm, just barely brushing the skin. Even when Sasuke pulled away again, the snake master kept his light touch on the Uchiha. "You passed the greatest milestone in your quest for power."

Sasuke winced, gripping his neck as he felt the burn of the cursed seal on his body.

"Don't stop now..."

It was a threat.

*****

"Eh?! What do you mean, 'There's been nothing'?! I left for almost three years with Ero Sennin and all you guys come up with in that time is NOTHING?!"

Naruto slammed his fist on the desk, leaning towards the Hokage. A look of frustration was clear across his face. Tsunade met his glare with one of annoyance, hands twitching in their folded position.

"I know that you care very much to find your teammate. However, I would like to point out that my job is keeping this village alive and running. You're lucky that I've been able to spare a ninja here or there to even bother looking! As much as I want to eliminate the thread of Orochimaru and you want to locate Sasuke, they cannot be a priority right now!"

"WHY NOT?!"

Naruto pounded the desk once again, reminding Tsunade very much of a child throwing a tantrum. From behind the blond, a knock sounded. "Hokage-sama, you requested my presence?"

"Yushika-san, come in." The woman returned her attention to the boy standing before her. "I will consider a slight increase in our efforts, but until there becomes an immediate need, I cannot do more than that. You may go, Naruto."

The genin turned, his glare not lightening the slightest as he stormed out. As he passed the female now entering; she turned, casting him a quick glance of repulsion.

"Don't look at him like that. He's Naruto, only Naruto, and has worked hard to make that clear to everyone." Yushika gazed at the floor, bowing stiffly.

"My apologies." Her lack of sincerity was obvious.

"Anyways... Yushika Seaga, you are a member of squadron 5, their medical ninja, correct?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I would like to make a few inquiries as to your work yesterday. About..." She trailed off, and glared at the door. "NARUTO, GO AWAY!"

There was the soft sound of scuffling feet, and Tsunade waited a few moments before continuing. "About Uchiha Itachi. You were the team member assigned to the identification of corpses, correct?"

"Yes."

"How did you identify that the body was that of Itachi?"

"I ran a check on the blood that remained in the body. There was no sign of tampering, and our results turned up positive for matured Sharingan. The body appeared to be unmodified, although some of the wounds may have disguised clues."

"I see... and of the assassin?"

"We were unable to locate any sign of him. All blood in the area appeared to belong to Uchiha Itachi, and no fingerprints or tissue samples could be found to say otherwise."

"That blood that was around... you tested it for presence of Sharingan?"

"All scans returned positive, matured."

Tsunade sat back, glancing at her almost-empty cup. "I see. You may go."

She watched the ANBU member turn and leave, the door closing silently. _Well, Naruto... we might have just found a clue._

*****

"How troublesome..."

Shikamaru sat back against the trunk, sighing softly. "It's been three days, and so far, nothing. What a troublesome mission..."

"You complain a lot for someone who isn't doing anything." Neji sighed as well, disengaging the Byakugan.

"It's not my fault. It's the fog. I can't see a thing."

The two were perched in a tree, about ten meters from the Village Hidden in the Mist. So far they'd managed to stay undetected their entire mission, but with each passing second the chance of discovery grew. It was a miracle that the ninja village hadn't found them out already.

They had been sent out on information that Mist was possibly making an alliance with the Village Hidden in Sound. The hope was that if the information proved true, they would be able to at least report back to Konoha, or even better would be if they could disrupt the negotiations altogether.

"Hokage-sama preaches about staying away from war situations, but when it comes down to it, she–mph!"

Neji thrust his hand over Shikamaru's mouth, silencing him. "Someone's coming."

Engaging the Byakugan, he looked out at the past leading to Mist. As he honed in on the figure, he had to stop himself from making a sharp gasp.

"I... don't believe it..."

*****

"Kabuto-kun..."

The medical ninja startled, hearing the dark voice calling out his name. Slowly he turned around, peering into the darkness, just barely making out the figure of his superior in the dim light.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"What were you doing out just now?"

The teen blinked, eyes widening, unconsciously taking a step backwards. "I was collecting samples... why?" There was an edge to Orochimaru's voice that sent chills up the back of his spine. His blood felt like ice in his veins. He swallowed thickly as the snake master looked him over, piercing glare searching for anything that Kabuto might have been keeping hidden. "Orochimaru-sama...?"

"Sasuke-kun is gone."


	4. The Other Thing I Wanted

Now might be a good time to mention this. I did not put any pairings in my summary. This is because I don't want to let out who gets paired up with whom. If you're the type of person who absolutely is disgusted by certain pairings, and CANNOT read fics with X/Y because X _so_ should be paired with Z (et cetera), proceed with caution.

I won't go into graphic detail anyways.

The Other Thing I Wanted

The sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed down the hallway. The soft noise of flickering candles could be heard from behind the closed doors, each branching off into its own different room. The building was very spacious and lavishly decorated, with expensive-looking pottery spread around. The Village Hidden in Mist, Sasuke noticed, was one to put on appearances.

Slowly the woman led him farther into the complex, with a demeanor that was so calm it was almost suspicious. She was a ninja, he could tell from her movements, though she was disguised so as to not appear to be. Every step of the way he fought down the recurring doubts about his decision. Just because it was better than all the other alternatives didn't mean he liked it.

She finally turned to a door, sliding it open. Beyond lay a misty garden, partially obscure beneath the haze. Without a word she stepped forward, beckoning Sasuke to follow her. The male complied, walking out into the fog. Instantly he noticed the presences of at least four other people. All of them seemed like they were doing their best to hide themselves. "Here...?" he mumbled, stopping and looking at the flowers around him.

His guide turned around, a look of confusion on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"I have a question." Sasuke reached to his holster, lazily tossing up and catching a kunai in his hand. "Is this a test... or a trap?"

She chuckled softly, the faintest traces of a smirk creeping in to her smile. "Did you think we grant instant hospitality to everyone who claims they have a Bloodline Limit?"

*****

Naruto sighed, looking down—or rather, up—at his feet. The branch from which he hung showed no signs of strain under the pressure of his chakra, a testament to his training. He turned, walking along the underside of the limb, down the trunk, to the ground. He was about to turn around and walk back up when he caught a flash of pink through the trees. "Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto-kun!" She ran over to him, panting softly. "Did you get to see Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah, I saw her." Naruto put on a pout, folding his arms. "She wasn't any help at all. She can't even send anyone looking for Sasuke!"

With that he spun, heading back up the tree. Sakura watched him for a few moments, a small look of disappointment on her face. "I see... Well, she is the Hokage, so she knows what she's doing... Naruto-kun, are you training?"

"Hardly!" He folded his hands behind his head, taking one foot off the branch and hanging from the other. "It's just all practice now. I don't have much to do."

"If you have so much free time, why don't you take on a mission?" There was an edge to Sakura's voice, and she was frowning now. Naruto chuckled uneasily, knowing that she was trying to pull him into working again.

"Even if I did, almost all of you are Chuunin now! I have to wait half a year to take the test; Tsunade-no-baa-chan would never put me in a group with any of you!"

"It can't hurt to ask!" Sakura reached up, giving Naruto a hard yank and dislodging him from the underside of the tree limb. "Come on, we're marching right back there and getting you a mission, whether you like it or not!"

*****

Sasuke stepped forward, raising his kunai threateningly. Before him stood the woman, also with a kunai at the ready. Fear was clear in her eyes, but she stayed strong in front of him. Around their feet were the dead bodies of four Mist ninja, red blood splattered all over. He took a step forward and she moved backwards, keeping the distance between them. With a small "tch" he crouched, ready to spring forward for the attack.

"That's enough."

A door to the side slid open and Sasuke turned, glaring with the blood-red Sharingan at the man who stood framed within. He wore the robes of the Mizukage. "In response to your question, this was a test. We do not ally ourselves with Konoha in respect to their missing ninja, and through your display of skill you have convinced me of your legitimacy." He paused before continuing, and Sasuke left his crouch, standing upright. "Uchiha Sasuke, we will grant you shelter and hospitality. In return, you offered us the chance to house the clan possessing the legendary Sharingan. Is this our deal?"

Sasuke returned his weapon to its holster, Sharingan still active. "Yes."

"Consider it sealed."

*****

Sakura knocked on the door, casting one final glare at Naruto. The male ninja stifled a whimper, feeling her death grip on his wrist finally let up. After a moment she turned back, knocking again. "Tsunade-sama!"

"Oh, Sakura! Come in!" The kunoichi pushed opening the door, pulling Naruto in behind her. At the sight of the boy, the Hokage's face fell slightly.

"I'm here to request a mission on Naruto's behalf!"

Tsunade felt an eyebrow lift as she glanced the two over. "Couldn't Naruto just...?" she trailed off, noticing the stubborn pout on the boy's face. Of course he wouldn't ask for a mission himself. Not with the Sasuke issue still floating around. Right...

"About that..." she sighed, folding her hands. "I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you. We found Uchiha Itachi..."

"YOU FOUND-?!"

"... dead."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut, cutting off the rest of his sentence. For a few moments, all he did was stare at Tsunade, eyes widened in shock. Sakura's expression was similar.

"Uchiha Itachi... Sasuke-kun's older brother?!"

"Yes."

"But... Itachi..." Sakura turned to the boy, realizing he was shaking. "Last time I saw him... he was... so strong... How could he...?"

His shaking slowed. "Who... who killed him...?"

"All we have is circumstantial evidence, but nothing says otherwise. There's a very decent chance it was Sasuke."

Upon hearing the name, both Sakura and Naruto jumped. A deafening silence overtook the room. Tsunade glanced back and forth between the two teens, letting the words sink in. When she felt there was ample time for them to have done so, she continued. "I don't mean to get your hopes up. We really have no proof it was anyone. Also, this is classified information, so you two should keep it to yourselves."

"If Sasuke..." Now only Naruto's fists shook. "If Sasuke was strong enough to kill Itachi... then I still have a long way to go..."

"Naruto-kun..."

A grin spread across his face. "Yosh! Tsunade-no-baa-chan! Requesting a mission!"

*****

"I don't trust him."

"Do you need to?"

"No, I mean, I _really_ don't trust him."

"I agree with him. I don't trust that boy at all."

"Me either, yeah."

"They're right. He just has ties that are too close to-"

"Exactly why we'd want him."

"You'd risk a betrayal like that?"

"He won't betray us. He's one of mine."

"Oh, yeah; _there's_ a vote of confidence for you, yeah?"

"I cannot agree with this."

"Well, I agree with it, so shut up."

"In nicer terms, yes, please do be quiet. His ties are what could make him so useful to us. Who knows what we can access through him. If he does try to betray us, well..."

"We'll kill him, you mean? You forgetting what happened last time?"

"We won't make the same mistake with him. This meeting is over. I do not care how the rest of you feel about the matter. We have nothing to lose. If he can recover it for himself, he's in."

"... I still can't see him replacing Itachi-san..."


End file.
